美国政客就新互联网规则提案争论不休

    From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

    Another political fight is taking shape in Washington, D.C. At issue: proposed changes to the way the Internet is regulated in the United States. One side wants rules to suspend plans to charge extra for some heavy users of the Internet. The other side says new rules will slow the economic growth fueled by online services. Both sides say their way of thinking will lead to continued innovation.
    华盛顿特区另一场政治斗争逐渐显露峥嵘。它所针对的问题是美国互联网监管方式的改革提案。一方希望颁布规则以中止向某些互联网重度用户收取额外费用的方案。另一方则称新条例将会减缓受益于线上服务的经济增长。双方都表示他们的思考模式能引发不断创新。

    Earlier this year, U.S. regulators proposed big changes in the way the Internet operates in the country. The Federal Communications Commission voted to offer a plan that could affect Internet service providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. Under the plan, the service providers could make deals with companies like Google and Facebook to provide them with faster paths to get their content to consumers.
    今年早些时候,美国监管机构提出要对互联网在美国的运营方式做出重大变革。美国联邦通信委员会投票通过了一项可能会影响AT&T,Verizon和Comcast公司等互联网服务提供商的方案。根据该方案,服务提供商可以同Google和Facebook这样的公司达成协议,为后者向客户传输内容提供更快的路径。

    Some consumer groups and Internet companies oppose the plan. So do a majority of people questioned in a new University of Delaware study. President Barack Obama also dislikes the proposed changes. He spoke recently about how the Internet should be organized around ideas like openness, fairness and freedom.
    一些消费者组织和互联网公司反对该方案,反对者还包括德拉瓦大学一项新的调查中的大部分受访者。奥巴马总统也不喜欢这一改革提案。他最近谈到了互联网应该如何围绕公平、公正和自由来进行管理。

    "There are no gatekeepers deciding which sites you get to access, there are no toll roads on the information superhighway. This set of principles, the idea of net neutrality, has unleashed the power of the Internet and given innovators the chance to thrive. Abandoning these principles would end the Internet as we know it."
    奥巴马所,“互联网上没有看门人来决定你可以上哪些网站,信息高速公路上也没有收费公路。这套网络中立的原则释放出了互联网的力量,也给创新者提供了茁壮成长的机会。放弃这些原则将会像我们知道的那样扼杀互联网。

    The Federal Communications Commission is an independent regulator. So President Obama cannot order the FCC to make changes. Last week, the President sought to persuade commission members to regulate consumer Internet services like a public utility.
    美国联邦通信委员会是一家独立的监管机构。所以奥巴马总统无权命令该委员会做出改变。上周,奥巴马总统试图说服该委员会成员把互联网当作一项公用事业来监管。

    Harold Furchtgott-Roth is an economist and former FCC commissioner. He says the Internet adds hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. He adds that new rules would be unnecessary and unwise.
    哈罗德·菲西特格特-罗斯(Harold Furchtgott-Roth)是一位经济学家,也是前联邦通信委员会委员。他说,互联网为美国经济贡献了数千亿美金。他补充说,新的监管制度既不必要也不明智。

    "American online companies are the leading on-line companies in the world in practically every field. I think that is in part a result of our lighter regulatory approach relative to a lot of other countries."
    他说:“美国的网络公司几乎在所有领域里都处于世界领先。我认为部分原因就在于同很多其它国家相比,我们的监管措施更为宽松。”

    He says proposals to govern the Internet as if it was a telephone company would interfere in many decisions, including pricing. He says those decisions should be made by people who operate the business.
    他说,把互联网当成电话公司来监管的提案将会干扰包括定价在内的很多决策。他说,这些决策应该由经营该业务的人士来做。

    The former commissioner says even the threat of new rules is bad for the investments needed to support innovation on the Internet. Some Republican members of Congress and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are in agreement with Mr. Furchtgott-Roth. The Chamber of Commerce speaks for many major businesses.
    这位前委员表示,即便是威胁制定新规则对支撑互联网创新所需要的投资也不利。国会一些共和党议员和美国商会都认同菲西特格特-罗斯先生的意见。美国商会代表了许多大型企业的利益。

    The issue will likely be fought over by regulators, the courts and Congress.
    监管机构、法院和国会可能会就这个问题展开争论。

    And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. I'm Jonathan Evans.
    以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语科技报道的全部内容。我是乔纳森·埃文斯。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)